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Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
''Atlantic League of Professional Baseball From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For previous leagues named "Atlantic League", see Atlantic League (1896–1900) and Atlantic League (1914). Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Atlantic League of Professional Baseball logo.svg Sport Baseball Founded 1998 No. of teams 8 Country USA Most recent champion(s) Somerset Patriots (2015) Most titles Somerset Patriots (6) Official website atlanticleague.com The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball league located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis, with one team located in Texas. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either. The Atlantic League requires cities to have the market for a 4,000 to 7,500-seat ballpark and for the facility to be maintained at or above AAA standards.1 When Atlantic League professionals are signed by MLB clubs, they usually start in their Double-A or Triple-A affiliates.2 Contents 1 History 2 Current franchises 3 League timeline 4 Former teams 5 Championship series 6 All-Star games 7 League records 8 See also 9 References 10 External links History In 1998, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball played its inaugural season, with teams in Bridgewater, Newark, and Atlantic City, New Jersey; Nashua, New Hampshire; Newburgh, New York; and Bridgeport, Connecticut. The creation of the league was the result of the New York Mets' objection to Frank Boulton's proposal to move the former Albany-Colonie Yankees because of its territorial rights to the region. Boulton, a Long Island native, decided to create a new league that would have a higher salary cap for its players and a longer season than most of the other independent baseball organizations. He modeled the Atlantic League after the older Pacific Coast League, with facilities that exceed AAA-level standards. Boulton also emphasized signing players of Major League Baseball experience for all Atlantic League teams, raising the level of play above other independent leagues. In 2010, the league announced that it would be expanding to Sugar Land, Texas and adding its first franchise not located in an Atlantic coast state.3 The Sugar Land Skeeters began play in 2012. In 2010, amid financial struggles, the Newark Bears moved from the Atlantic League to the Can-Am League, leaving the Bridgeport Bluefish and Somerset Patriots as the only teams remaining from the league's inaugural season.4 In the summer of 2013, then-ALPB President Frank Boulton announced that he would be resigning so that he could devote more time to operating the Long Island Ducks. He was replaced by longtime high-ranking Major League Baseball executive Rick White.5 On July 8, 2015, the Atlantic League began using Rawlings baseballs with red and blue seams, virtually unused in the sport since the American League swapped the blue in their seams for red in 1934.6 On September 1, 2015, the Atlantic League announced conditional approval for an expansion team or a relocated team to play in New Britain, Connecticut for the 2016 season.78910 On October 21, 2015, the Camden Riversharks announced they would cease operations immediately due to the inability to reach an agreement on lease terms with the owner of Campbell's Field, the Camden County Improvement Authority.11 The team became the New Britain Bees for the 2016 season.12 On May 29, 2016, Jennie Finch was the guest manager for the league's Bridgeport Bluefish, thus becoming the first woman to manage a professional baseball team.13 The Atlantic League is generally regarded as the most successful and highest level of baseball among independent leagues.1415 Many notable former and future Major League ballplayers including Roger Clemens, Rickey Henderson, Scott Kazmir, Dontrelle Willis, Juan González, John Rocker and José Canseco have played in the league and several have coached, including Gary Carter, Tommy John, Bud Harrelson and Sparky Lyle. The Atlantic League has consistently posted higher per game and per season attendance numbers than rival independent circuits including the American Association, Can-Am League, Frontier League and United League.16171819 In 2015, the Atlantic League experienced a watershed moment for independent baseball when it signed a formal agreement with Major League Baseball which put into writing the rules which the ALPB would follow in selling its players' contracts to MLB clubs and their affiliates. This marked the first time that MLB, which has enjoyed a U.S. Supreme Court-granted antitrust exemption since 1922, had made any formal agreement with or acknowledgment of an independent baseball league.20 Current franchises Team City/Area Stadium First Season Freedom Division Lancaster Barnstormers Lancaster, Pennsylvania Clipper Magazine Stadium 2005 Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Waldorf, Maryland Regency Furniture Stadium 2008 Sugar Land Skeeters Sugar Land, Texas Constellation Field 2012 York Revolution York, Pennsylvania PeoplesBank Park 2007 Liberty Division Bridgeport Bluefish Bridgeport, Connecticut The Ballpark at Harbor Yard 1998 Long Island Ducks Central Islip, New York Bethpage Ballpark 2000 New Britain Bees New Britain, Connecticut New Britain Stadium 2016 Somerset Patriots Bridgewater, New Jersey TD Bank Ballpark 1998 Atlantic League team map League timeline League members Moved to another league Former teams Team City Stadium Capacity Seasons History Aberdeen Arsenal Bel Air, Maryland Thomas Run Park 1,000 2000 Replaced by the Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles Class-A affiliate). Atlantic City Surf Atlantic City, New Jersey The Sandcastle 5,500 1998–2006 Moved to Can-Am League, folded prior to the 2009 season. Camden Riversharks Camden, New Jersey Campbell's Field 6,425 2001–2015 Replaced by the New Britain Bees Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds Quakertown, Pennsylvania Memorial Park 800 1999–2001 Formerly the Newburgh Black Diamonds (1998). Became the first Pennsylvania Road Warriors. Nashua Pride Nashua, New Hampshire Holman Stadium 4,375 1998–2005 Moved to Can-Am League, later relocated to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, folded at the end of the 2011 season. Newark Bears Newark, New Jersey Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium 6,200 1998–2010 Moved to Can-Am League, folded prior to the 2014 season. Newburgh Black Diamonds Newburgh, New York Delano-Hitch Stadium 3,100 1998 Became the Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds (1999–2002), which became the first Pennsylvania Road Warriors (2002–2004). Pennsylvania Road Warriors Pennsylvania 2002–2004 Formerly the Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds (1999–2002), which had been the Newburgh Black Diamonds (1998). Dissolved by league to make way for the Lancaster Barnstormers. Road Warriors 2006–2007, 2011 Dissolved by league to make way for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, reformed in 2011 after the loss of Newark Bears, dissolved again to make way for the Sugar Land Skeeters. Championship series Year Winner Runner-up Result Championship Series MVP 1998 Atlantic City Surf Bridgeport Bluefish 3-1 Chris Eddy 1999 Bridgeport Bluefish Somerset Patriots 3-0 Duane Singleton 2000 Nashua Pride Somerset Patriots 3-0 D.J. Boston 2001 Somerset Patriots Newark Bears 3-2 Robert Dodd 2002 Newark Bears Bridgeport Bluefish 3-0 Jimmy Hurst 2003 Somerset Patriots Nashua Pride 3-2 Jeff Nettles 2004 Long Island Ducks Camden Riversharks 3-0 Justin Davies 2005 Somerset Patriots Nashua Pride 3-0 Mark DiFelice 2006 Lancaster Barnstormers Bridgeport Bluefish 3-0 Jeremy Todd 2007 Newark Bears Somerset Patriots 3-1 Jose Herrera 2008 Somerset Patriots Camden Riversharks 3-1 Brandon Larson 2009 Somerset Patriots Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3-1 Jeff Nettles 2010 York Revolution Bridgeport Bluefish 3-0 Ramon Castro 2011 York Revolution Long Island Ducks 3-1 Vince Harrison 2012 Long Island Ducks Lancaster Barnstormers 3-2 Dan Lyons 2013 Long Island Ducks Somerset Patriots 3-2 John Brownell 2014 Lancaster Barnstormers Sugar Land Skeeters 3-0 Gabe Jacobo 2015 Somerset Patriots Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3-1 Roy Merritt All-Star games Year Location Stadium Winner Score 1998 Atlantic City, New Jersey The Sandcastle Atlantic City 6–4 1999 Bridgeport, Connecticut The Ballpark at Harbor Yard South 8–3 2000 Bridgewater, New Jersey Commerce Bank Ballpark North 2–0 2001 Newark, New Jersey Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium North 10–0 2002 Central Islip, New York Citibank Park South 4–1 2003 Nashua, New Hampshire Holman Stadium South 2–1 2004 Camden, New Jersey Campbell's Field North 10–8 2005 Atlantic City, New Jersey The Sandcastle North 9–6 2006 Bridgeport, Connecticut The Ballpark at Harbor Yard North 4–1 2007 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Clipper Magazine Stadium North 8–6 2008 Bridgewater, New Jersey Commerce Bank Ballpark Freedom 8–6 2009 Newark, New Jersey Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium Liberty 7–5 2010 Central Islip, New York Suffolk County Sports Park Liberty 7–1 2011 York, Pennsylvania PeoplesBank Park Freedom 7–0 2012 Camden, New Jersey Campbell's Field Freedom 9–5 2013 Waldorf, Maryland Regency Furniture Stadium Freedom 2–1 2014 Sugar Land, Texas Constellation Field Sugar Land 5–3 2015 Bridgeport, Connecticut The Ballpark at Harbor Yard Freedom 5–1 2016 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Clipper Magazine Stadium TBD See history of American League at Atlantic League (1998-Present) Category:Independent baseball leagues Category:Atlantic League